Mehwish's Blog

Cuba has expressed their concerns about relaxation after shifts in American policy regarding travel to the island and caps on family remittances. The change in policy was the result of a change of government in the US that replaced Trump with Joe Biden. The Trump era policies were dismantled particularly towards Cuba.   Biden has intentions of developing good terms with Cuba to improve the bilateral ties that created a trust deficit between them. US-Cuban relations have experienced bitter relations due to restrictive policies of the US over human rights violations and illegal immigration to the US.   Cuba maintains close ties with Russia which was a major reason for the disconnect between US and Cuba due to close ideological affinities with Russia.   Cuban leadership has reservations over the trade embargo that was imposed on them as a result of differences in their policies having an ideological basis. Cuban government pursued policies that widen the differences between ...

The recent inclination of Scandinavian countries towards the North Transatlantic Treaty (NATO) membership is due Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is debated by experts whether NATO will significant for European states that remained neutral in politics. They avoided taking part in alliances and shifted their focus to other aspects of development and the security element was less dominant in the politics of European states.    Security was not the only factor that gained significance in the major political debates in Europe. Since the Russian invasion, there is a shift in the policies of European states that previously invested more in the economy and development of their states.   The security umbrella of NATO came to rescue the European states to provide security and the growing influence of Russia particularly in Eastern Europe. The threat to the sovereignty of European states is not taken lightly by the security pundits in Europe. NATO provides security to its membe...

The truce between Russia and Ukraine over the future of Crimea and Donbas has been delayed for 15 years over the likely outcome of Crimea under Russia after annexation. A recent example is Ukraine where the uncertain situation has stirred up the world and opposition to the invasion of Russia through the United Nations by most of the states. The negotiations were held in Turkey between Russia and Ukraine delegates to discuss the framework for a peace settlement for the war in Ukraine.  The negotiation has not able to end the war and use of weapons in Ukraine, the meeting was held between representatives of Ukraine and Russia. Russian spokesperson Vladimir Medinsky has agreed to end an escalation in a two-step process of de-escalation. The hostility towards Chernihiv and Kyiv capital of Ukraine has decreased in the northern parts of Ukraine. The hostility increased due to Kyiv's intentions to get membership in NATO to avert potential threats emanating from Putin's aggressive poli...

Satellite images show the 1,200sq km (463sq miles) Conger Ice Shelf collapsed completely in March. According to studies by scientists, the large chunks of ice attached to the land acts as a buffer to prevent ice from melting and flowing into the ocean increasing the risk of submergence due to a rise in sea level on the land areas. The areas on coastlines are in danger of receding land areas due to the rise in sea levels. The temperature reaching 40C (70F) above normal in parts of East Antarctica, is unusual for the region during this time of the year. Scientists, consider the melting of ice in Antarctica is likely to increase the risk of flooding. The rapid pace of melting of ice has adverse effects on the land adjoining the ocean. Melting of ice is creating an effect Neff described as “a fire hose of moisture phenomenon. The rate of climate change is three times warmer in the Antarctic than in the Arctic Ocean. In the context of factors, first and foremost is the increase in greenhous...

Syria’s war continues since the talks between the Syrian government and the opposition proved to be futile. All the parties of the conflict failed to reach an agreement over the constitution development and provisions through the consensus of parties in the conflict. The differences over allocations of subsidiary powers to stakeholders in Syria. Despite efforts, negotiations are unable to reap desired results. The conditions for negotiations involve the sovereignty of Syria without any interference from external forces. The independence of Syria with territorial integrity is one of the key features of the Syrian Arab Republic. The negotiations to avert terrorism and extremism acts through keeping a check on the role of non-state actors in Syria. The actors that are involve in terror attacks on civilians and infrastructure within Syria. The matters concerning security and stability in Syria would be drafted with the help of the army, armed forces, and intelligence. Moreover, civil socie...

 Ukraine war would lead to the nuclearization of Japan? Japan being a major player in South East Asia threatened by the War in Ukraine. The repercussions of war may shift the focus of policymakers in Japan over acquiring nuclear arsenals to beef up their security. That’s a question that is under debate by analysts after the invasion of Ukraine and Russia have flexed their military muscle in Eastern Europe. The question is Japan considering the option of restoring its nuclear program? Ukraine will become a stimulus to shift the focus of its energy to nuclear energy to end its reliance on the import of hydrocarbons from Russia. The energy security of Japan relies on 9 percent of its gas supply from Russia. After the deal in 2006 Japan 210,000 tons of liquefied natural gas from Sakhalin every year from 2008 to 2028. The war in Ukraine will end their gas deal with Russia or they would explore other options to ensure their security. Japanese companies are reluctant to purchase LNG from ...